Governor Mutula orders probe into claims of poor health services
Makueni Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jnr.
What you need to know:
- Makueni County Referral Hospital has been at the centre of complaints, ranging from mishandling of patients by medics to lack of basic medicines.
Mr Kilonzo Jnr’s administration has moved to abolish a healthcare scheme that saw households pay Sh500 to access basic health services for a year.
Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jnr has moved to shore up public confidence in the county’s healthcare system amid growing criticism over poor services in public hospitals.
The county boss has ordered senior officials at the Department of Health to resolve the issues at a time when medics and ward representatives have accused the county government of mismanaging health facilities.
“We have failed the residents of Makueni County if the comments on [social media] are anything to go by,” a leaked memo the governor sent to Health Executive Paul Musila and Chief Officer Stephen Ndolo reads in part.
In the letter, which Nation has seen, Mr Kilonzo Jnr wants the officials to look into operations at the Makueni County Referral Hospital and report back to him.
The Level Four hospital has been at the centre of complaints, ranging from mishandling of patients by medics to costly services, lack of basic medicines, lack of imaging services, and dirty wards.
Members of the county assembly, reacting to a statement by Wote/Nziu MCA Felix Mateso on the declining service quality at the county’s only Level Four hospital, decried the state of affairs and described it as “worrying”.
The complaints also come at a time when Mr Kilonzo Jnr’s administration has moved to abolish a healthcare scheme that saw households pay Sh500 to access basic health services for a year.
The scheme, which was initiated in 2016, was at the time celebrated as a trailblazing innovation. According to Dr Ndolo, however, the scheme, dubbed MakueniCare, isn’t sustainable.
“We are in the process of evaluating MakueniCare and looking at possible alignment with NHIF [National Health Insurance Fund] for financial sustainability. When all is in place, we will bring it up for public participation,” he said in a statement recently.
At a heated session chaired by Mtito Andei MCA Francis Mulwa last week, Majority Leader Kyalo Mumo (Tulimani Ward) called on the county government to punish medics he accused of standing in the way of the governor’s commitment to delivering quality healthcare services.
“Although there are specific issues with Makueni County Referral Hospital, the reported complaints apply to other hospitals and dispensaries across the country. It is a worrying situation. Heads must roll,” he said.
However, his Ivingoni/Nzambani counterpart Harrison Mutie linked the issue to poor management at the top echelons of the county government.
“How can a medic slap a patient to force him to take medication? Our medical practitioners could be suffering from depression,” Mr Mutie said.
The concerns by the MCAs mirror complaints received in confidence by Nation from patients and whistle-blowers.
Speaking through their various trade unions, the medics have trained their guns on Mr Kilonzo Jnr’s administration, which they accuse of mistreating them.
“Our members are highly demoralised and demotivated and this has adversely affected the quality of services delivered to residents of our beloved county,” reads a September 7 petition by the medics to Assembly Speaker Douglas Mbilu.
It was signed by, among others, Lower Eastern Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Union Chairman Charles Okumu, Kenya National Union of Nurses County Chairman Mathew Sila and Kenya Union of Clinical Officers County Chairman Damiano Muriuki.
The grievances raised by the trade unions include arbitrary transfer of medics, shortage of staff, denied health risk allowances for medics, unpaid gratuity, staff harassment and lack of, or denied, promotions.
According to the letter seen by Nation, Mr Kilonzo Jnr has until this Friday to address the grievances, failing which the medics will down their tools.
